


Speaking Out

by Miss_Teddy



Category: Strange Magic (2015)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-09
Updated: 2016-04-11
Packaged: 2018-05-05 19:22:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 14,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5387393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Teddy/pseuds/Miss_Teddy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A weird blood disease or a resurgence of 'old blood' (depends on who you ask) began turning people into monsters. The government took steps to isolate these cases into Rehabilitation Centers. Occasionally the odd human gets tossed in. Really bad summery... but Marianne pretends to be a monster, Sunny pretends not to be one, Dawn is advocating goblin rights, and Bog probably eats people. Kinda dark.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue/ Sunny

**Author's Note:**

> First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out--  
> Because I was not a Socialist.  
> Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out--  
> Because I was not a Trade Unionist.  
> Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--  
> Because I was not a Jew.  
> Then they came for me--and there was no one left to speak for me.  
> \- Martin Niemöller

The blood has always been there. At least, that was how my father told it. He spoke of a long ago time, when might made right and how survival instincts had faded in humanity. Faded but remained.   We were one of the few families that remembered our true nature. Thanks to father, my brother and I were prepared for the primal blood’s resurgence. To some extent we were even prepared for the world’s reaction. The curfews, the heavy police force, and the restrictions of meat.   Father taught us to survive. To make peace with our instincts and with humanity. I wanted that unity between those of the blood and those who had lost their lineage. If peace meant hiding my true nature, then so be it.

My brother on the other hand chaffed at the rules, at the regulations, and hated how we had to pretend to be something we weren’t. After father died, I wasn’t able to control him.   He said that if they wanted to treat us like monsters, he’d act like one. Something in the old blood keeps you from going insane when you eat human flesh. But the price is that you change, because if you have to eat humans than you need to adapt to capture your prey.   I tried to warn him, tried to tell him that with time we could change the world, and that using their bad behavior to justify our own was wrong… But he wouldn’t listen. They caught him eventually. They sent him to one of those _facilities_. I moved on with my life.

Perhaps he would think I’m betraying who we are by doing so, but I joined the task-force that hunts and suppresses the rouge goblins. I believe in peace, and that is impossible to have with our kind running around creating havoc. As one of the old blood, I’m especially adept at tracking and identifying goblins. I catch the lawbreakers, the ones who hunt and kill indiscriminately, without need for food. Of course they don’t know what I am; I hope that when I and others like me step forward, the world will realize that we are all working towards the same goal. That we are all people.


	2. Marianne

All she had wanted was a bloody steak, like her grandfather had always made. Too bad that was illegal, even in the old fashioned state of Texas. It was dark in the back of the pickup truck now, but she still remembered the hungry eyes watching her, as the cramped metal cage she’d been put into upon arrest had been lowered next to theirs. Supposedly the goblins had better vision and sense of smell - like animals. Marianne had no doubt that they still watched her from their cages, smelling her fear, and thinking of her as food. She should have known better than to think a steak house would serve meat medium rare, or to think that they wouldn’t have the police on speed dial. Any place that served meat nowadays was extra cautious of their customers. They couldn’t be too careful with monsters running loose.

In some ways it seemed that evolution was regressing. Humans began developing primal qualities that made them crave meat, and indiscriminate about what or who that meat had come from. In the last ten years it had gotten worse, physical deformities such as claws, sharper teeth, and disjointed bodies had started spreading along with the goblin personality traits. It seemed to be a disease but the scientists claimed it was a genetic trait, recessive and until recently, inert. Suddenly the lower brain became more in charge and civilization seemed to fade from the mind. Scared of what was happening, of the cannibalistic violent people, the government did the only thing it could think of. It issued laws that segregated the monsters from the men.

Today her nostalgia had cost Marianne her humanity in the eyes of the police, and soon would cost her life. She had protested, tried to explain, and tried to prove she was a normal human. They didn’t care; when it came to goblins you were assumed guilty just to keep the rest of them safe. In fact one of the officers who had shoved her into the cage had looked at her with cold eyes and said, “If you actually are human, then you’ll keep the monsters happy for a bit as they feast.”

So they were taking her to prison. Of course they didn’t call it that, it was a Relocation Center for the Diseased. Basically the government knew they couldn’t just wipe out all of the goblins without public outcry against the inhumanity, so they built places where they could lock them up and keep them separate from the rest of the world. Segregated and under constant armed surveillance, with one hundred and fifty acres of land to hunt on for the fresh meat the government refused to supply. The injustice of being innocent and sent to certain death, to be eaten alive by things that resembled people both terrified her and made her angry.  

She was a citizen and deserved due process, but more than that, she was a human being and the cruelty of what the government had done to her made her wish she was goblin. Just so she could rend flesh and tear into whoever’s stupid idea all of this was. Marianne understood about being scared of what a goblin could do, but this was a ridiculous over reaction. Too bad her revelation had only happened when it was her that was being affected, and that soon it would be too late to do anything about it.

After a while her fear and anger faded, leaving her exhausted. She must have dozed for a while because it seemed the next time she looked around, the sky had lighted some and her eyes adjusted to see in the dim dawn light. Marianne looked at the goblins in the cages around her. They were sitting or crouching, as the space allowed, occasionally growling under their breath. Some rocked against the movement of the truck; others stared around them with hungry, slightly glowing eyes. Their behavior said animal, but despite that some had obvious deformities, such as claws and sharp bone structures, it was impossible not to see that they were people locked in cages. Perhaps the government had decided that she and others like her were acceptable losses to humanity, and that the goblins couldn’t count because of their nature. If that was the case, then the government had forsaken her, and Marianne decided that she owed no loyalty to a government that did not keep faith with her or its people.

Perhaps she wouldn’t have to die. After all, she was an actor. Marianne had spent her life doing small skits and bit parts in movies. If she accepted that this new role, this new life, she just might survive. As the day wore on, she studied her companions, opening her mind to a more primitive nature and learning what it would take to survive.


	3. Marianne

It was late afternoon when the truck pulled up to the wall that surrounded the Relocation Center. Fifty feet high, with barbed wire and turret guns facing in as well as out, its grim appearance supported the public belief that the Center was less of a rehab and more of an oubliette. No one going in there was coming out. The truck stopped at the gate which slowly rolled up like a mall shop cage protecting a store. They pulled forward again just to stop in an area almost like a breeze way, while the metal gate came groaning down again. Only when it had settled, did the heavy steel doors swing open and admit them into the central courtyard of the prison.

A large crowed was gathered in a semicircle around the other end of the courtyard waiting. Though, from the back of the truck bed Marianne couldn’t get a good look at them. The two men in the cab of the truck got out, carrying long metal polls that had hooks on the end of them. After dropping the tailgate, they began unloading the cages that contained her and the goblins. One guard would get on either side of the truck and, using the hooked polls, would lift the cage out. They were much more careful setting down the cages than they had been tossing them into the truck.

When they finally got to her cage and she got a good look at the watching crowed, Marianne couldn’t blame them. _These_ were the goblins people were afraid of. The ones that looked too monstrous to be human, but human enough to truly unnerve you. They watched with hungry eyes, mouths that held teeth too sharp, hands whose fingers were too long and tipped with claws, bodies that were all angles and had a disjointed way of moving that made you think of spiders. Standing slightly ahead of the group was an almost normal looking man. He wore a white shirt and jeans, but his feet were bare. His arms were crossed and unlike the rest of the horde behind him, he stayed still. Patient.

When the last cage was unloaded the guards got back into their pickup, which was still idling. The heavy steel doors swung close and the groan of the portcullis rising and lowering was heard. The rattling sound stopped which seemed to be a signal. A couple of goblins from the watching group came running forward, traveling on all fours like a pack of animals. One slammed into Marianne’s cage and she flinched into the back of it, scared despite her resolution to survive this.

This goblin was a heavily mutated man. His bones were so misaligned that there was no way he could stand fully erect. He used a long fingered hand to grab a bar of the cage and dragged it after him, loping along smoothly on his other three limbs, as if it and the fully grown woman inside weighed little. Her new captor stopped in the middle of the court yard, produced a key, and unlocked the cage. Then he ran with the rest of the pack, back to the main group of goblins.

Marianne hesitantly pushed against the front of the cage, and the door fell with a soft thud onto the dirt. It was irrational, but she was suddenly afraid to climb out of the cage. By the scuffling sound on either side of her, the goblins had no such trouble. She eased out of the cage on hands and knees. Bruised, stiff, and hungry, but otherwise undamaged. _I wonder how long that will last?_ Marianne thought as she stood and stretched, still cautiously watching the group ahead of her. The other caged individuals were doing the same, a total of fifteen spread into a ragged line.

The man standing ahead of the others moved finally. He hadn’t been shifting restlessly like the rest of the mass of goblins, and walked with the confidence of someone important. As he got closer he inspected them, and then turned to face the horde. The woman on Marianne’s right let out a low growl. Startled she looked at her. Shoulders hunched, head tilted up, and normal square teeth bared, she looked similar to a feral dog. Marianne followed her gaze back to the seeming leader of the goblins. _All he did was turn around. Is that an insult? Saying he doesn’t think the new goblins are any sort of threat?_ While she wondered at the woman’s reaction, the leader spoke.

“Will any speak for these possible brethren?” Silence met his words. After a slight pause the leader turned back around and walked to the man standing first on the right side of the line. Marianne watched but couldn’t hear the short conversation. The leader nodded, and then moved on to the next person in line. At that woman’s first words, the man reached up with his left hand and tore out her throat. It happened so fast the woman’s body still stood for a second, before falling almost weightlessly to the ground.

As the leader moved to the next person, Marianne stared in shock. _I am going to die._ There was no way around it - no clever planning would get her out of it. She was just a junior actor. Not a fighter. Not a predator. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and how did she _ever_ think she could fool someone who could smell fear?

Marianne blinked and it seemed suddenly the man was standing in front of her, though she knew time had passed. The leader was exceedingly tall and thin; looking down at her with strange, luminescent blue eyes. His white shirt had flecks of blood staining it, and his left hand was dripping. He spoke and time resumed its natural pace.

“Are you a goblin or a human?” Marianne blinked and then grew angry. Death at the hands of monsters she could understand, accept, and fear. But here was yet another person who was judge, jury, and executioner. Another person who thought they could control her life. The will to live came back with the anger. Marianne glared at the leader, meeting his eyes, baring her teeth in challenge. “Goblin.”

His eyes dilated with sudden interest. In a strangely formal tone, the man asked “And by what right do you claim the title?” She snapped out a response without thinking. “Human Law.” The leader nodded and then did something amazing. He moved on to the next person _without_ ripping out her very human throat.

Surprise replaced anger and with it came hope. _Perhaps these …people… can be reasoned with._ It was a short lived thought. A cut off scream and a sickening slurp sounded next to her, as the leader tore the throat out of the squat man beside Marianne. She watched in horror as the man fell back, hands scrambling to the ragged bloody mess that was left of his neck, and making awful gurgling noises as he drowned in his own blood. It was immediate in a way the first death hadn’t been. Marianne couldn’t look away.

The leader moved on, just as he had from the others he had killed, but she still couldn’t look away from the man withering on the ground beside her. It didn’t take long for that to stop, for the wide panicked eyes to stop rolling, and the terrible sounds of the dying man’s attempts to breath to end. A cold numbness settled over her, sheltering Marianne from her own fear and upset. She just couldn’t process the death. _At least it wasn’t me._ She couldn’t help but think, the awful thought echoing in her mind over and over again. Looking back up the line towards the first death, she saw several bodies, more than the people left standing.

The man, _the monster,_ walked back between the survivors of the new group and the already established prison pack. Gesturing to those who remained standing, the leader spoke. “Will any speak for these new brethren?” The same question he had asked the group before. This time he wasn’t answered by silence. Several individuals detached themselves from the mass and came forward. They latched on to some of the new arrivals and led them back to join the main body.

After it became apparent that no others would come forward; the leader walked directly to Marianne, put his bloody left hand on her shoulder, and directed her back to his central location. Marianne couldn’t form any protest in her state of shock. Again the leader asked, “Will any speak for these remaining brethren?” There was no answer, though there were four left standing in the line. “Then let us collect our dead, so their meat is not wasted.”

With those final words the leader pushed her forward, towards the horde. The goblins rushed forward, barely going around Marianne to collect the dead. As they pushed forward, the sounds of screams began from behind her.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. I had this story idea years ago and did nothing with it even though I have the entire thing plotted out in my head. And then something in me said "That'd work for a Strange Magic AU" and suddenly I feel like I can do something with this. If you hate it, let me know and I'll leave it as is. If you like it ... For goodness sake why?  
> Thank you for being awesome and reading regardless.
> 
> PS: Hey can anyone direct me to a Scottish accent generator? I've found accent generator's before, but I'm not finding anything useful when I google this one.


	4. Dawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This sounds stupid. All well.  
> Um. Thank you for reading?

Dawn tried to be reasonable when she couldn’t get a hold of her sister. She tried all of the multimedia devices, contacted their father, even managed to talk to her sister’s ex of all people. After the first week she was in a state of panic. Never mind that people said that ‘the wild girl’ had probably wanted some alone time, and would turn up eventually. Dawn knew better than that. No matter how awful things were – Marianne would drop everything if her sister asked.

She was _never_ not there.

She put up missing persons fliers, filed with the police when dad wouldn’t, even set up a Facebook page for her and tracked down supposed sightings. It all turned up empty. A month after she had gone missing, Dawn finally got the letter. The letter that said Marianne wouldn’t be coming home. That Marianne wasn’t human. That Marianne was a monster.

Dawn knew who the real monsters were. The ones who judged from atop their high horses, spat down from their ivory towers. The ones who made prisons and locked people away forever. These people that came and stole your family from you. Her sister was gone and they dared to say good riddance. Even her so called friends said ‘there always was something off about the girl’.

This was unacceptable.

The world was a better place than that. She refused to let it be otherwise.

Somehow she _would_ save her sister.

Dawn had never taken note of the ‘Goblin Uprising’ as the news had dubbed it. The restrictions didn’t affect her – she never ate anything that had a face – and despite the doom and gloom of the news, monsters had never attacked anyone she even tangentially knew. Plus, as her dad and sister always despaired, love was _always_ in the air. Who cared about that sort of thing when there were boys to flirt with?

But now she did her research. Saw the senseless cruelty that had begun when the first cases of the disease came to light. A homeless man shot because of his terrifying face, a woman beaten to death in a store parking lot because she had bought a rack of ribs, and even kids who looked different suspended from school until their blood could be tested. It was horrifying.

More often than not these stories portrayed the attackers as heroes. Maybe some ‘goblins’ killed people, but since when was meeting violence with violence an answer? Dawn turned the Facebook page ‘Find My Sister’ into a page for equal rights. Those people couldn’t help what they were. The first thing she posted on it was Professor Plum’s scientific analysis of the mutagen.

It was an in depth article denouncing the idea that there was something ‘wrong’ with the people called goblins. It _was_ a piece of ‘junk DNA’. A set of traits that had recently been triggered possibly by a multitude of things. The traits had been in the human genome for centuries, and wasn’t a disease that could be caught – only inherited. The initial testing had revealed that goblins did have to meat more than usual, did develop more aggressive mindset then the average human child, and that their bodies changed as they grew depending on the amount and source of the protein the consumed. It also conclusively proved that they were still higher functioning people: sentient, creative, intelligent, possessing self-awareness and intentionality. _Not_ mindless monsters.

From there it seemed only logical to make a twitter, a tumblr, and every other form of social media she could find. Dawn then took the next step and formed a petition. One denouncing the Relocation Centers, the sensationalism of the media that encouraged monstrous behaviors, and asking everyone to stand up and fight for their fellow man. At first it seemed like it was working.

People would stop and talk to her, hear her out. Dawn couldn’t believe it. It seemed all they needed was someone to be the first to stand up and say no, this isn’t right. She went all over the city, to places she could find the most people at any given time. All sorts signed her petition. At this rate it would be no time before she had her sister back, and something _productive_ was being done to deal with the goblin situation.

Of course there were naysayers. Those who told her she was crazy. Called her monster lover. Asked what a nice girl like her was doing supporting such an uncouth cause. And Dawn would smile. “It is _always_ in fashion to help others.” People would laugh, but somehow her honest determination got through. They believed.

Or so she thought.

Between her going around the city and the internet, it wasn’t long before she had over a thousand signatures. Not enough for anyone important to take seriously, not yet, but it was a _wonderful_ start. So she organized a demonstration. A little rally to be held in the main park. People liked the idea, said they’d be there, were all for it. Dawn made the banners, brought sound equipment that her sister wasn’t currently using, even hired a couple of vendors to pass out treats and drinks.

 

She showed up early. Set everything up.

Waited.

For several hours.

No one showed... Not even the caterers.

 

People, it seemed, said all the right words…But when it came time to act, to step out into the public light… No one cared enough for that.

 

Her sister was gone.

 

She was alone.


	5. Sunny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently Sunny only gets short reflection type chapters...  
> Am I even portraying anyone right?

The first time he saw her she was smiling. It was a bright, happy, innocent thing that made him feel lighter inside. _I want to protect that smile._ He thought. And even though he didn't know her, his heart told him in no uncertain terms that that was the woman he was going to marry.

Later when he was off duty and out of the stupid uniform that identified him to god and everybody as a goblin hunter, he swung by the cafe she had been standing outside of. He knew it was ridiculous, but he just had to see her again.

Of course she wasn't there.

But the next day he saw her again. He knew it was her - fluffy blond hair, looking as if she hadn't fallen so much as floated down from heaven, standing outside of a mall. He wasn't the only one who saw her, many people seemed drawn to her, stopping to talk to her, making her face light up in easy delight. He wanted to do something, anything to get her to look at him like that... But didn't quite dare.

He was nobody at best. A short little nobody. And at worst? At worst she would see him as a monster. As he turned away, the woman looked up as if she sensed him watching and smiled. Just for him. His mind froze, his heart leapt, and dreamily he sighed his way to work. _Nothing can bring me down._

The third time his path crossed hers she was crying. Sitting on a park bench, rubbing her eyes and taking deep gulping breaths as if trying to collect herself and failing. Something in him broke. Nothing should hurt her like that; this big dark ugly world wasn't allowed to touch her. It woke something long ignored in him, and in that moment he would have done _anything_ to save her. But violence wasn't his nature. Even now that he had a reason, he lacked the will. So instead he dialed into work sick, despite the risk that put him in.

That didn't matter – nothing did, except that she was crying.

"Please let me help." He knew it was crazy to say. They were strangers, and he didn’t even know the problem. But her light blue eyes, watering and red, met his and he knew that he would never recover. He was well and truly lost. “What can I do?”

He was unprepared when she threw herself off of the bench and wrapped her arms around his neck. Pure instinct had him hugging her back, gently, because she was precious and seemed so fragile. She cried in to his shoulder and he stroked her hair as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “They took her. They took her and nothing I do is going to bring her back.” Her voice was broken.

He held her close as she cried, but didn’t shush her, didn’t tell her it was going to be okay. Because he knew that kind of pain, shared it even. He waited until she was done, after the tears had been spent for the moment. When she finally pulled away, he gave her the same consolation he had found. “You’re not alone.”


	6. Bog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, its not great. But it'll do.  
> In other news I wrote out the chapter where Roland shows up. So now I kinda have to get there.

She wasn't afraid. That was the only reason he did it. She wouldn't last her first week, and if she did… the first minute without protection would be the end of her.

His long fingers flexed on her stiff shoulder as he pushed her along. The blood was cooling, growing tacky. He hated that even as the darker side of him whispered of the desire to lick them clean.

Carefully steering her into the building, which was dark and cool after standing so long in the midday sun, Bog let his face curl into a snarl. He guided her around the long way, past open cells, laundry lines strung across the hallway, past the mess hall. Making sure all those who hadn’t been in the courtyard saw, knew, and understood that she was his. Whatever madness drove him, it would not strip him of his dedication to duty.

Finally they arrived at his cell. All of the cells were more or less the same. Set up with bunk beds, thin rubber mattresses, sterile white walls that had dark squares where bland landscapes had once hung. Bog finally let go of her and headed into the adjoining bath room to wash his hand. Seeing the red spots on his shirt, he let out a low curse and pulled the offending garment over his head. “Don’t suppose you’ve got a stain stick? This is my favorite shirt.”

Her voice was smooth as it drawled out the question. She leaned against the door way, eyes curiously roaming his now half naked form. _Still not afraid_. Bog noted, even as a small part of him wanted to flinch away from her gaze. He knew how he looked. Stretched tall and thin from the lack of meat growing up, shoulders, hips, joints all jutting out sharply from his body, feet and fingers just not quite right. He hated her assessing gaze, her lack of fear.

Movement – spontaneous and threatening. Suddenly he was looming over her, faster than her poor human eyes could track. She flinched back, trying to get more space, _retreating_. Ha. He knew it had been just a fluke. _Silly little princess thinks she could be one of the monsters._ Bog would show her what it meant to be a monster. Teach her not to challenge him. Every time she moved back, he came forward. Right on top of her, never letting her gain space.

Within seconds she was pinned against the bed room wall. Bog leaned over her inhaling deeply. _Fear_. _Finally_. “First rule of being a goblin, Princess. You show weakness and you will be destroyed.”

Her chin jutted out defiantly “Don’t call me that. I’m not your _princess_.” Her voice was infused with venom. _So she still wanted to play?_ He smiled. “No you’re my problem, my…” He searched for the right demeaning word. “Pet for the next week.” He was surprised at her sudden fury. How her face paled and then flushed. The fist she sent flying his way. Bog caught it easily, squeezing it tightly. Her fear was gone now, no longer perfuming the air. He didn’t mind, the fun had already started.

At least until her foot reached out and hooked the back of his knee. She used his grip on her hand to shove him away and, now unbalanced, he fell. Bog’s back had barely touched the ground before he twisted around on all fours and lunged at her. His hands gripped her arms and he slammed her hard against the wall. “Second rule _princess_ ,” Bog sneered out the endearment. “Don’t make a challenge for dominance you can’t win.”

Her dark brown eyes glared up at him, and while she didn’t struggle she did bare her teeth in a parody of a grin. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Knowing it for a threat, he let a growl rumble low in his chest. _She learns fast._ It was no comfort that all over his prison, others were engaging in similar power plays. His was human. She shouldn’t have dared. Bog would _not_ be shown up by some little human girl. At this moment he couldn’t break her, she was under his protection. _But her time will come._

Releasing the tight hold he had on her, he crossed the room to the closet and slid the door open. Inside were his meager collection of clothing and a few stacks of folded scrubs they all kept handy for the new arrivals. Bog hadn’t needed them before today. Taking one set, he tossed it at her. “There is a communal laundry room you can use if you’re afraid of a little blood.” She rolled her eyes at him.

“Why only a week?” She turned around and pulled her, probably ruined, purple blouse off. Bog resisted the urge to yank her around, knowing she didn’t understand her actions were an insult. Besides, if he hadn’t wanted a challenge he might as well have killed her back in the yard and be done with it.

“The new arrivals have a week under someone’s protection. They get their rank from whoever chose to sponsor them. After that they’re on their own. In that week you’re to learn about how things work here, and find a purpose. Those who have no purpose and that can’t claim a place in the hierarchy don’t last long.” As she finished changing and turned around, he rearranged his bored expression into something more menacing. “You may have passed the first test Princess, but no one here will assign you a purpose higher than dinner.”

The shirt came flying at him, followed closely by the angry girl. She was as much in his face as she could manage considering their height differences, and practically snarled at him. “My _name_ is Marianne. Use it.” Seeing as he couldn’t slap her down – she was probably much less durable than the average goblin – Bog let his eyes glance away. It wasn’t like she’d know the small victory she had won. “When you’ve earned it. After all… You don’t name your next meal.”

She snorted at him and got out of his personal space. He wondered how much of the body language she was picking up. How much was intentional, how much accidental. “So, since you’re the boss around here, everyone’s going to leave me alone until the week is over with?” She questioned. Rolling his shoulders, Bog shrugged. “Oh, there will still be challenges. Just nothing fatal and nothing out of my sight. If your sponsor thinks you incapable they can jump in and end the fight. Of course that just makes you seem weak.”

He stifled a groan at the thought. All of the work he’d do protecting her would come to nothing in the end. Why had he spared her? No one but he had to know she had a spark of what it meant to be a goblin. “You’re the leader here right? Did you have to fight your way through every single goblin that out ranked you? Or just the previous guy in charge?”

Bog let the explanation distract him, even knowing he was wasting his breath. “The stronger the person fought, the less challenges you receive. After a certain point you find your place, stronger than those below you and not a true threat to those above you. At the very top you only receive challenges from those who want your place.” She seemed to consider his words for a moment.

“So what’s the escape plan?” Such an odd derailment from the discussion. It left him feeling wrong footed. “What?”

She made a sweeping gesture and lifted an eyebrow at him. “Well as lovely as this place is, surely you’ve already been working on a way to get your people out of here?” Comprehension dawned.

“And where would you have us go, Princess? We are monsters in the world of men; here we are left in peace. Out there it is eat or be eaten.” He knew his words smacked of bitterness, but he didn’t care.

“Well maybe if you refrained from _actually_ eating people, we could all get along.” Rage grew within him at her flippant tone. Bog’s blood boiled. _How dare she presume to judge._ “You know nothing of us, of who and what we are.” His words were nearly intelligible through clenched teeth.

Her brow furrowed and she moved closer, not intentionally challenging but doing so all the same. “You’re kind has only been around for a decade, cultures in development change all of the time –”

Yelling, he silenced her. “We have been around since man first climbed out of the slime and we preyed upon his ignorance then too!” Her eyes widened in confusion. His fingers flexed disturbingly close to her throat. Bog pulled away, regaining control.

Dragging one hand across his face he used the other to point at the top bunk. “You will sleep here. You will only leave the cell with me. Or you will die.”

He abandoned her then, not sure enough of his willpower. He wanted to destroy the stupid girl. He should have known sparing her, even for a week, was a bad idea. He never learned.


	7. Marianne

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um. There are 19 people who gave me kudos. That is both amazing and terrifying. I guess sorry for the wait. I wanted a Dawn chapter next but for some reason I couldn't move on until I had wrote up this bit. So uh thank you all for reading and next up will be Dawn.

It was the muttered oath that snapped her out of the shock. Despite coming from someone her polar opposite, the exasperated anger reminded her so much of her Mother that Marianne was thrust back into reality. She could almost hear her saying in that exact same tone, _Take it from the top girl! And think about what would your **character** do. Not you._ So she decided she was playing the part of Marianne the Goblin Girl. The director said wing it and she _did_.

 _Goblins weren’t afraid – they were the cause of fear._ While she had slipped up a few times, Marianne tried to tell herself she was developing her personality by bouncing it off of this guy’s already established character. It was almost fun, throwing out anger, using him as a foil for her steadily developing confidence. She took all of her cues from him. As Marianne had observed in the courtyard, body language mattered. How close you were, how far, facial expressions, where you stood in respect to each other… It was complicated but she had always had a knack for getting on people’s nerves.

Even as she _challenged_ him, her co-star never truly hurt her. Lord knew he looked like he wanted to, but while she might be a bit sore the man had barely bruised her. Marianne had worse from someone who was actually fond of her. So the ‘protection’ she had for the week must include him. While she had enjoyed the posturing, she eventually dropped the attitude. Really there was a lot to learn and very little time to do it. _‘Since man climbed out of the slime?’_ Either these people were crazier then she had expected, or there was a lot more going on here then the media knew about.

The leader – she’d have to get his name at some point – had been melodramatically specific about the rules…But if Marianne was following correctly, he would only respond to the violence she offered him and everyone else couldn’t touch her without _His Majesty_ to bear witness. Grinning she made a mental note of the nickname. Marianne absolutely hated pet names, and couldn’t wait to give him a taste of his own medicine. _We’ll see how he likes it._

Taking a hesitant step towards the room’s entrance, her grin faded as she took one last look around. While she was exhausted, Marianne felt the need to press on. No telling when the man would be back, and honestly… _Honestly I don’t know that I can take a nap with death fresh on the mind, in the cause’s room._ Adrenaline and determination had gotten her this far. Marianne figured she could press on a bit longer.

So she left the room and ambled down the hall, trying to be casual. The place hadn’t registered on the trip through, but overall it reminded her of a hospital – where the patients had taken over and run the place to the ground. White walls that were somewhat dingy, once white floor now a grey-brown color from dirt, every third ceiling light was out making everything somewhat dim, there were no actual doors _anywhere_ , and the occasional laundry line strung between rooms spoke of long term residency.

Marianne didn’t look into the other rooms, not quite secure in her ‘protected’ status. After all, he hadn’t said _she_ couldn’t challenge others. It was one thing to goad someone whose job seemed to be keeping her alive, but she still only had vague ideas on what goblins took offense at and didn’t want to risk it. What she really needed is someone to sit down and give her the basics from the ground up. The halls however, remained unhelpfully empty. At least until she rounded the corner.

At her only somewhat suppressed squeak, every eye in the place seemed to fix on her and Marianne stared blankly back. It looked like a high school cafeteria, with plain metal tables with attached benches laid out in even rows. There weren’t that many people occupying the room compared to the numbers she knew this place contained, but the fact that as soon as she had made a noise all of their heads had jerked around to _look_ at her – _stare_ at her with hungry eyes…It was unnerving to say the least.

A scrawny fellow distracted her by falling over the bench he was sitting at, followed by thin air, and then tripping over his own feet, to arrive in front of Marianne. Nothing in her could consider this man a threat, goblin or not. He was half a head shorter than her for one, and looked like a stiff wind could take off with him. His back had a slight hunch to it and his jaw was just slightly off from where it should be, but his watery eyes were framed with horn-rimmed glasses and his mouth was grinning widely.

So his hand flashing out to grab her wrist took her utterly by surprise. She was going to have to remember how damn _fast_ these people were. “You’re the human!” The man was practically quivering with excitement. “You have to sit with us!” He tried to pull her along after him, but was pulled up short by Marianne simply _not_ moving. It would have been comical, his quizzical look as he followed her arm up to her face. It _would_ have been if he didn’t have a hold of her. She looked him and raised an eyebrow pointedly, but the man just continued to stare at her in confusion.

A hand smacked the back of his head sending his him stumbling forward and his glasses slipping down his nose. His hand remained firmly around her wrist as he turned his confused look to the woman who had waddled up beside him. “Idiot! You know not to touch people.” Squat and rotund, she had a deep rough voice that provided a nice contrast to his sharp, slightly whining tones. His frown only intensified. “But she’s not a goblin!” This statement earned the small man an overly exaggerated eye roll. “She’s here isn’t she?”

“Well yes, but –” The woman cut him off. “Then she’s a goblin.” Despite her firm tone, the man opened his mouth to continue the argument. Marianne decided to interrupt for the sake of her fraying nerves. She _hated_ to be touched, especially in such a possessive way. Keeping in mind her Goblin Girl persona, she kept her voice low but let her irritation bleed into it. _“Let. Go.”_

He dropped her hand like it had burned him. He also shuffled backwards, slightly cringing. “Right, sorry.” A sight tilt of his head followed his words. “I’m sorry.” Feeling somewhat like she had kicked a puppy, Marianne turned her attention to the woman who just rolled her eyes again. “I’m Stuff and this is Thang. He’s harmless, just exited. Haven’t had a human impress BK before.” _Bee Kay?_ Was that the leader’s name? If so, she might just stick with His Majesty. Goblins had _odd_ names.

Shrugging awkwardly, she replied. “Right…It surprised me too.” _Thang_ seemed to recover because he perked back up and moved forward again eagerly. “So will you sit with us then?” At a sharp glare from Stuff he tacked on, “Please?” Not seeing the harm, she followed them back to the closest bench. She _had_ wanted information, and they didn’t seem at all inclined to eat her. Taking a glance around at the dining area, Marianne saw the rest were still watching her with eerily focused eyes.

She bared her teeth at them, and about half looked away. _First Rule: Show weakness and you will be destroyed._ Well she could act tough and they could bloody well keep their distance. Marianne only hoped she’d get a chance to learn the ropes before she had to back up her threats.


	8. Dawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Sees the numbers, cowers behind next two chapters* Well this is shorter then expected. Sunny side up shortly.

Sunny was a breath of fresh air. He was right – this was a minor setback. She still had plans, goals, ideas! She couldn’t let this hold her back. If people were too afraid to come out in the open then obviously she would just have to go to them. Dawn felt better. Someone listening and taking her seriously was exactly what she needed. Alternatively, Sunny looked like he was going to be ill.

“You want to do what?” Giving a small sigh, Dawn turned ‘the eyes’ on him. Her eyes, she had been told by numerous boys since turning sixteen, were the achingly perfect blue of the sky on a forgotten childhood summer day. The look she now employed was the same one used when caught again by Marianne when sneaking out for the second time that night – and fifth time that week - for yet another date no one approved of. The same one used when her Dad had found out just what _exactly_ she had chosen as her major. As always it served her well.

He relaxed with a little dreamy sigh…and then shook his head stubbornly. Defeated she huffed and crossed her arms. “I can take care of myself. I’m sure that I’ll be perfectly fine.” Sunny held up his hands, trying to pacify her. “Right…But Dawn these people are different.” She caught his nervous glance away. “And hurting. They probably wouldn’t like having some human poking around.”

Determined she jumped forward eagerly. “You know where they are! Where I can find some Goblin’s who’ve lost someone!” Sunny shifted back from her nervously, but she followed him. “Well that is, I –” Since he wouldn’t be wrapped around her finger, she tried honesty. “Please Sunny. I’ve lost someone. You have too.” Imploringly she tried to catch his eyes. “Wouldn’t you do anything to stop anyone else from having to go through that?”

His eyes were a deep wet chocolate. Like doe eyes, like safe earthy gardens, and something warm that was all his own. She stared into them, practically holding her breath. He was a stranger when all was said and done. He didn’t owe her anything. But he was a good man. He had been sunshine on a cloudy day for her. Surely if he could do that for her, he could understand why she _had_ to do this. Softly, almost unsure…perhaps she had overstepped but couldn’t leave well enough alone… she asked the final question. “Wouldn’t you do _anything_ to help someone you love?”

Caving, he grimaced. “Okay, but I have to warn them you’re coming, and you have to do exactly what I say, and –” Dawn let out a gleeful squeal and threw her arms around his neck in another tight hug. “Oh Sunny, you’re the best!” Cautiously he hugged her back, and his sigh almost sounded like a prayerful “Yeah.”

They traded numbers and after he had helped her repack her sister’s equipment – and all the banners, tables, and flyers she had brought – he left promising to text her the details. Dawn was thrilled. _This is amazing._ Okay sure the rally hadn’t gone at all as planned, but this was even better! People protested and signed petitions and complained on the internet all of the time.

But change didn’t happen. Because everyone didn’t talk about things. Try to reach an agreement, and work out their differences. Work together. _Divided we fall._ _Right?_ So Dawn would find the true victims of all of these crimes, and then take humans to meet them. They would talk, they would fight, they would cry, and they would become friends. And united they would stand tall. United they would change things for the better. They had to make this happen.

_She_ had to.


	9. Sunny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely hate this. Maybe I'll find a way for this scene to happen without it coming across as being abrupt. Sorry in advanced.

Half way home and Sunny was already regretting agreeing to this. Hunting down trouble makers was one thing. But actively telling a human, not only that someone was a goblin but _where_ to find them? That was probably all sorts of betrayal. He shook his head. _I am so dead._ Remembering her smile, her eyes light up with joy, the hug. _I’ve got it bad._ Who could blame him? The girl was a perfect representation of her name. Dawn – bright and beautiful and cut through with brilliant streaks of color.

And she was brilliant. The problem was fear, no denying that. Humans scared of goblins. Goblins scared of humans, of each other, of _themselves._ Trying to get them to see one another as something other than the enemy would be a huge task. Impossible he would say…except for her. She believed. She truly saw them – _us_ – as something other than monsters. While all of the hurt was pouring out of her, Dawn had explained the research she had done and the answers she had found.

Sure _Sunny_ knew businesses suspected of serving or belonging to goblins were burned down, sometimes with people still inside. Just like he knew that neighborhood watches now reported odd behaviors to the police who often came and took people in the night, no questions asked. He even knew better than she did that Goblins were _human,_ even if they were slightly different biologically speaking. But Sunny _was_ a goblin, and one of the lucky ones whose family had understood their lineage. Dawn had been working on this for like a _week._

Maybe it was ridiculous. But he could believe that if anyone could save them all, she could.

Which is why the next day Sunny found himself standing outside the twenty-four hour breakfast diner with a practically glowing Dawn at his side. The place had been checked numerous times, like many family owned restaurants nowadays, but had always passed scrutiny. Which was pretty surprising since Sunny knew for a fact that a majority of the clientele and all of the staff were goblins. But the sausage served was always pork or turkey, and no one ever mysteriously vanished in the local area so he kept his mouth shut.

The fact _no one_ had ever been taken in by the hunters most likely meant that money was exchanging hands. It was probably the safest place to never know you were surrounded by potential people eaters in the city. Sunny just hoped the reputation would survive Dawn’s visit.

He tried to go back over the ground rules he had been texting her since last night. “Just don’t meet anyone’s eyes. I know it seems polite but _don’t._ ” Dawn gave a non-committal hum. “And don’t show your teeth when you smile, only humans don’t find that aggressive.” Another hum. “And remember what I said about personal bubbles?” Bouncing impatiently in place she gave him another positive sounding non answer. It occurred to Sunny that aside from a raging crush and one conversation he barely knew this girl. It also occurred to him that this could all end in tears. But while his doubts had been raising their ugly heads, it had become too late to leave. 

“There’s the signal!” Dawn said reaching down to take his hand, and then practically dragged him across the street into the diner. The signal had been a customer wearing both shades and a John Deer hat leaving the building. Dawn had them moving so fast the door didn’t even have time to swing shut before they were through it. As soon as they were in she announced them in a bright cheery voice that Sunny suspected was not faked in the slightest. “We’re here about the open positions!”

The man behind the counter was large. Not to say most people weren’t compared to Sunny –even Dawn stood head and shoulders taller than him – but this guy took the cake. As large as he was, Gus was just as wide. His arms alone probably weighed as much as Sunny did soaking wet. While he didn’t have any telling visible mutations, the man practically radiated Goblin so loudly he was surprised Dawn couldn’t tell.

Instinctively he dropped his eyes. Where he saw his fingers intertwined with hers. Blushing he started to pull away, but she just squeezed his hand reassuringly. Sunny jerked his eyes back up to look at her, just in time to see her break every rule he had given her.

Dawn aimed a dazzling, toothpaste commercial worthy smile at the behemoth behind the counter, and moved forward. This had the unfortunate side effect of moving Sunny closer to the other goblin as well. He glanced up at the bald man who was staring at them both as if wondering what they would taste like. Finally he gave a grunt and jerked a thumb to the double doors behind him. “Interviews back that way, through the kitchen and to the left.”

Still maintaining a dangerous amount of eye contact, Dawn’s smile widened. “Thank you!” She pulled him along and Sunny allowed himself to be taken away from Gus and his hungry eyes. What was waiting for them in the backroom was worse.

He could have been a clone of the man at the counter. Large and bald, wearing a stained white apron. Brutus's eyes weren’t hungry, they were angry. More to the point though was the fact there were no witnesses present. The threat level having risen, Sunny freed his hand. Dawn took this opportunity to stick hers out to the hulk sitting on the stool before them. _Did she ignore EVERYTHING I literally just said?!?!?_

“Hello my name is Dawn, and I heard you could help me make the world a better place.” Letting out a growl that rumbled so deeply in his chest that several cooking implements rattled against the wall they hung from, he spoke ignoring her hand. “Sunny. You brought a **human** here?” _Everything_ in Sunny flinched at the anger. But he had brought Dawn here, he would protect her.

Edging in between her hand and the angry hulk of goblin, Sunny canted his head to the right. “Look. Maybe this was a bad idea; we can come back some other time.” Even as he said this he backed against Dawn trying to push her towards the door. Brutus and Gus had been close friends for years, but apparently this was asking too much. _Please let us go. Please let her go._ However, she wasn’t cooperating with his attempt to get them safely away.

Stepping out from behind him, she moved towards the still rumbling cook. “I know. I _know_ what humans have done to your people.” Her hands were spread wide at her side, marginally better than at the goblin, though she still advanced into his personal space. “But we aren’t all like that. Just like goblins aren’t all monsters.” The surge upwards caused the stool to clatter loudly to the floor, and defied the man’s bulk.

“ **We** aren’t the monsters! Do you know what **humans** did to my little Lizzy?” Now it was his turn to move forward, invade Dawn’s personal space. To her credit she stayed where she was. Her voice was soft when she answered. “Elizabeth Scorsone, age nineteen, lost her leg due to a violent mugging. It grew back within three months. The doctors took it off, and when it grew back again they sent her to the closest rehabilitation center for further testing.”

Sunny couldn’t believe that she knew that. Neither could Brutus. Despite the fact he was already looming over her, Dawn took another step forward and looked up at the huge baffled man. Sunny didn’t know what they both saw, but suddenly she was hugging him. Brutus still looked lost, somewhere between confused and hurt…but he kept his hands out, away from Dawn. “I am sorry. I am so sorry they took your daughter.”

Brutus looked away from the girl whose arms barely wrapped around his bulging belly to Sunny. His was afraid. As if Dawn was the one who had the power to crush the goblin, instead of the other way around. She sounded so fierce as she whispered into the cook’s chest, “But we’re going to get her back. We’re going to get them all back.” Sunny could see it. See the moment that his friend went from angry with pain and confusion, to hope. To belief.

She believed in such a way that made you believe too.

This girl wasn’t afraid. She was hurting, not just for herself but for Brutus’s pain. Dawn felt for him, and that reached the large goblin. Slowly, gently, one hand reached around and patted her back. And when she pulled back to smile at him through tears, Brutus grumbled at her. “Alright. You’re hired. But I reserve the right to eat you if this doesn’t work out.”

Sunny grinned. He had been hiding what he was for so long that he had given up. It was a miracle to make it through the day without someone discovering what he was. To do more, to find a way for actual peace beyond that, he had given up. It was impossible. Impossible to free their families, end a decade of hate and fear, and impossible that a human could share the pain of a goblin. _But it’s still worth trying._ Dawn had reminded him of that.

_If anyone can pull this off, it’s her._


	10. Bog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short...sorry.

It was late when he finally headed back to his cell. Bog settled into his bunk with a groan, and made himself comfortable. The day had been busy, full of the usual nonsense that any group of goblins got into when left alone for too long. Then the hunters had come back and he had to see to that, followed by a runner reporting the latest news. All he wanted to do was sleep before he had to get up and do it all again the next morning. His back unknotted as he relaxed, and his breathing began to slow and even out. That was when he heard it.

Muffled snuffling from above him. Bog’s eyes snapped open as he remembered his personal thorn in his side. She was crying, probably into her pillow to hide the sound. He wasn’t surprised. _Honestly would have been kinder to kill her during the greeting ceremony._ No human was really cut out for this. Never mind the potential she had shown throughout the day. Humans and Goblins just couldn’t co-exist. He _knew_ that.

Still, something in him wanted to reach out and offer some form of comfort. Not that he had any to give her. Death was a fact of his life. Bog doled it out and raged against it every day. He did what he had to do, and when the time came he would do the same for her. Marianne. _A swift death is all I can offer her._ At the bleak thought he rolled over and slipped into sleep to the soft sounds of heartbreak. A song he knew all too well.

That week went by quickly. Despite what he had said, Bog had no time to escort the Princess around, and he was well aware that she snuck out of the cell when he was out. No trouble had arose from her ventures, except for the one time a goblin had grabbed her by the shoulder and had gotten a black eye for his trouble. Stuff and Thang seemed enamored of her, and were happy to keep an eye on her for him.

Their daily reports had devolved into little more than gossiping about what the Princess had done that day. She visited such and such today. They talked about personal space. We practiced approaches. The human seems to be really interested in goblin behavior. She let us chase her through the compound. We showed her the hunting grounds today. She had never climbed a tree before. All sorts of details that Bog told himself he wasn’t interested in.

It was obvious what she was doing. Trying to learn enough to survive. Things he was supposed to be teaching her. Bog ignored the twinge of guilt. She was just a human. He never heard her crying after that first night. In fact, he never ran into her outside of his cell and inside the cell she was always in her bunk before he came home for the night. That was probably intentional. He didn’t know what to do with her, knowing that she would be dead shortly.

What did interest him about the various things reported to him about the human girl was what hadn't been said. Despite the traditions, Bog had essentially abandoned the girl. Someone should have challenged her, attempted to take a bite out of her, or simply threatened her. But the Princess didn’t complain to him, and other than the one black eye no one ever reported to the medical ward. In fact, everyone was suspiciously quiet.

Day to day troubles were brought to his attention, but Bog didn’t hear about any of the usual snarls or infighting that broke out. The hunt even seemed reluctant to leave again once they had rested for a few days. Everyone was waiting for something. He just didn’t know what.

Bog found out on the last day his protection extended over the human. When she, surrounded by every goblin in the compound, called him out. Every goblin loved a good fight. No one had dared challenged him since he had taken over six years ago. No wonder everyone had let the girl be.

She was grinning widely, short hair mussy because he had never provided her with a brush, in the purple blouse she had arrived in minus the sleeves, and had somehow gotten a smudge of dirt across her nose. “Your Royal Highness, Mr. King of the Hill, I challenge you for the position of leadership of this prison.” It was ridiculous. A human couldn’t win a fight against a goblin. He would break her easily.

But she wasn’t the least bit afraid. He felt his mouth stretch into a matching feral grin. “Bring it on Princess.”


	11. Marianne

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to Sunny and Dawn next chapter. My time line on this is wonky. I'm fairly certain Dawn and Sunny are like three weeks ahead of Bog and Marianne. All well. Thank you to the wonderful people who have decided to continue this story and all of you who have attempted to read my nonsense.

He had her pinned, but she bit his shoulder. Hard. Until a flood of copper filled her mouth and he managed to shake her off by rolling. They broke and stood again, circling. His left hand reached up and pressed the small wound, and then brought up a blood covered finger to lick. He liked it. She could tell.

This hadn’t really been going well for Marianne. Sure she had started strong, but she had been angrier at his nickname for her then he had been at hers. She had lunged at him, and he had been expecting it. Unlike their brief fight in the room, he wasn’t holding back. As had been proven repeatedly to her over the course of the week, goblins were fast.

He slashed with his claws, and she scrambled to get out of the way. Marianne had learned a thing or two though. The goblins expected her to act like a human, and when she didn’t they expected her to act like a goblin. Which honestly she couldn’t replicate completely. She didn’t flinch, submit, go for the throat, or give out the typical goblin body cues.

Marianne was taking shameless advantage of the fact that to them, she was unpredictable. She knew she couldn’t win this. But god, did she feel _alive_ right now. If she was any judge, the King was grinning in enjoyment as much as threat. _Of course he could just be playing with his food._ As if he could read her mind, he lunged and she attempted to roll under him. He sailed over her, but still managed to twist around and grab her.

He bit her back on the back of her shoulder. They matched now, and she felt her own mouth stretch into smile at the thought.

Overall she liked fighting. Sure it hurt, but it was much better than any therapist that her sister had recommended over the years. In fact, in being angry, letting out the emotions as she felt them instead of toning them down into something acceptable… she felt better. Much better then she had in years.

The goblin girl persona had become less of an act, and more of an outlet to express things she didn’t want to acknowledge. There was a lot of that, and over the last week she had turned that bottled up fear and hurt into anger, and channeled that anger into a purpose pointed directly at His Majesty. Maybe it was a bit self-destructive, but Marianne felt like she was forging herself anew. Never again would she be afraid. _She refused._

Before they could clash again, a breathless girl burst through the crowed. “Bog. We’ve got trouble.” Neither of them broke eye contact as the girl bent over trying to get the rest of her message out around her gasping in air. “Men with guns. Intercepted the hunters. We think the guards let them in.” The king – Bog apparently – let out a growl and rose from his crouch.

“Another time Tough Girl.” Well it was a damn sight better than Princess…But now it was the principle of the thing. The new Marianne wouldn’t let anyone walk over her. “Marianne.” She stated evenly, not moving a bit. That brought the grin back to his face and he nodded. “Marianne.”

At his acknowledgement she stood and tipped her head to the side like she had been taught, signaling her surrender. “Well then, looking forward to it Your Majesty.” Flashing her teeth might call into question the sincerity of her supposed submission, but he didn’t seem at all bothered.

Everyone broke up, disappointed. She may be just a human, but there had still been solid bets placed in her favor. Marianne was growing to love this place, and its people. Maybe even the person she was becoming.


	12. Brutus

Dawn became a permanent fixture of the diner from her very first day of work. Brutus was still surprised how easily she inserted herself into their world.

The girl made the place seem brighter. Managing to flit around the place, breaking all of the rules that were the base guidelines for the care and handling of goblins. Bubbly, always a step closer than necessary, smiling with all of her teeth. Gus always watched her with dangerously hungry eyes, and the patrons seemed unsure how to handle this happy girl who rubbed them the wrong way.

But she knew exactly what you wanted when you walked in the door, and made sure it was to your favorite table before you were. And Dawn would offer a kind word, and listen to you in such a way that made you feel as if your story mattered. Nobody could find it in them to take offense at her for long. Not when Dawn wanted so intensely for you _personally_ to be happy.

Sunny made a habit of stopping by the diner at least once a day, and usually managed to walk her home at the end of her shifts. The boy watched her face with fascination as she adamantly explained who she had talked to throughout the day. She would always find spare time to share all of her adventures with him.

It was obvious what was happening. Brutus wasn’t blind. The girl was though. How she couldn’t see it… But no. She’d flirt innocently with anyone who walked in the diner – and then proceed to talk their ear off about ‘her best friend Sunny’. More than one man, goblin and human alike, had walked out both half in love with Dawn and completely aware that the girl had no idea.

There hadn’t been any trouble so far, though a few instances had given Brutus pause for thought.

Once Dawn burned her hand. Which in retrospect had been bound to happen sooner or later. His brother was there instantly, but when she held out her hand for him to inspect it the goblin didn’t immediately remove it. Instead he guided her gently to the sink to put it under cold running water. Gus, who had gotten more than his fair share of the hunger, hadn’t even thought about the sweet smell of burning flesh.

A woman who had been eating in the diner didn’t have such will power. High heels clacking, she made her way around the counter face intent upon Dawn. Who saw the threat and reacted. But not as a goblin would have. The girl grabbed a nearby plate of bacon with her free hand, and simply pushed it into the woman’s hands with a smile. “Sorry for the trouble, that’s on the house okay?”

Looking between the bacon, Dawn, and Gus who had turned his always hungry eyes on her, the woman in the paisley dress took the plate and returned to her seat without any further trouble. Brutus had never seen anything like it before, but it wasn’t the last time that she completely stunned him.

A drunk goblin stumbled into the diner one evening, saw Dawn and obviously planned to make a meal out of her. He snarled at her, reached out a hand and she _took_ it. And then his other one. Fluttered her eye lashes at him and before anyone really seemed to know what happened, the man was seated at the bar with a strong cup of coffee and a stack of pancakes.

She just never seemed to see the danger in things. The harm. It woke something inside them all that made you want to protect her like she was your own child. All of his patrons seemed to eventually realize how…innocent she felt. Dawn floated in the world untouched by all of the awful things that could happen.  At least that's how it appeared until he stepped into the back room that used to be his office.

Dawn, like the unstoppable force she was, had appropriated the place for herself. Inside was stuffed full of the things she had been collecting, probably since her sister had been taken.

Photos, words, essays, children’s drawings, all sorts of things.

There was a monstrous woman who was inches was from the camera snarling and curled protectively over a crying child. There was a pair of hands, nails like claws on one and extra joints on the other, linked together in the shape of a heart. A man in uniform from the last major war, his lower jaw jutting out away from his upper one. There were family portraits. There was a man, tears tracking down his face as he reached out on his knees to another being pulled away by faceless people wearing the too familiar jacket of the goblin hunters. Some were screen capped from the TV, some looked professionally done, many of them looked well-worn and personal.

The articles were about vigilante efforts to subdue goblins. Scientist discussions on what exactly goblins were. Typed up testimonies attributed anonymous, telling of personal tales of woe and horror. Quotes from historical works and essays saying similar things from points in history when hate and fear had won out over reason. So many things said about people, by people. Many things said about goblins that she had been learning from them all here.

The largest thing in the room by far was a plain white banner stretched across the wall, almost entirely filled in with hand written names. Underneath, in painstakingly painted letters, was the simple sentence “It is Human to Love, Just as it is Monstrous to Hate.” Lizzy’s name was on there. Everyone’s name was. Every single person lost since the goblins had been outed ten years ago. Human and Goblin.

Brutus was too old to really hope for a cure, too beaten down to fight. After all, he’d lost his daughter. Day to day it seemed all he could really do to keep his people safe and on the outside. But he’d felt something that when Sunny had dragged a human into his diner. Just a small little idea. Just maybe they didn’t have to be so different. That maybe no one had to be a monster. If there were people like this girl out there, then maybe she could make a difference. Maybe they _could_ make the world a better place. Maybe he could get his little girl back one day.

Dawn had proven herself, so Brutus figured he might as well try. If only to make her happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. This is awful. Thank you for reading.  
> Why Brutus? I really don't know. But it got the chapter done...
> 
> Oh. Fun fact: This entire story idea originally spawned from a set of five videos which you can find on youtube called There she is! Which you may like.


	13. Lizzy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [AO3] 39 people have left kudos on Speaking Out. If you've received this message in error…Yes. Yes I have.

Lizzy felt a hand on her shoulder and snapped her head up in a snarl before realizing it was just Pare. He grinned at her and gave her a thumbs up before following their king along with a handful of others. Relaxing, she wiggled her fingers back. She liked the big lug, he was too nice _not_ to like. He just sort of grew on you after a while, despite the anger issues. Honestly though, what goblin didn’t have that going on?

The fire in her lungs had dissipated, and Lizzy finally pushed her hands off her legs and stood. There were a surprising number of people in the courtyard. What was up with that? Shaking her hair over her shoulders, she caught sight of _her._ The human. Who despite the eager prattling of Thang, was staring directly at the king with a confused wrinkle in her brow. _Who does she think she is?_

Then Lizzy saw it. The sluggishly bleeding perfect imprint of a set of sharp teeth. She jerked her head back around to stare at Bog, who had a much messier wound above his left collar bone. _Did she…Challenge the KING?_ No. No-no-no! This was unacceptable. This chick was human. No matter what she thought she was doing here, she was the king’s _pet_ nothing more! How dare she. How dare this human come in here and think she could take over.

Well pet or not, this ended now. Humans had taken so much from her and from everyone in her new family. Lizzy wouldn’t let this one ruin their one safe haven. No way. But she wasn’t really a fighter. She just acted as a runner and a field medic for the hunters. So how to get rid of this threat?

Holding her ponytail away from the back of her sweaty neck, Lizzy’s eyes landed on the newly formed hunting party following the king. _Of course. I’ll just put her in a situation where she’ll have to choose._ Ignoring the stitch still in her side, she jogged over to the human and her little band of admires.

Smiling widely, she put on her most perky tone – one that was developed over years of helping her dad in the family diner. “Oh that looks like it hurts!” The human’s stance shifted just slightly, as if bracing herself. Thang immediately shut up and scooted closer to his protector. Of course he would see the threat, Thang had been targeted as to weak to live until Stuff had started intervening. But it was interesting the human reacted first.

“Well now that the adrenaline is wearing off it is.” The girl shrugged as if to negate her statement, and watched her warily. “What’s it to you?” Lizzy was surprised at her caution. Credit where credit was due, the girl was learning fast. _Which just makes her more of a threat._ Letting out a practiced fake laugh, she replied. “Don’t worry. I’m not interested in a bite. I just work in the med ward and thought I’d patch you up.”

She shrugged again. “I’m fine. Thanks.” The dismissive tone coupled with her starting to turn away, set Lizzy’s teeth on edge. Before she could give into the impulse to just slam down a challenge though, the human turned back. “Are you going back out there with them?” The question took her off guard. “Um, well yeah. I was going to grab some supplies and then follow.”

Remembering the ambush and the dead hunters made her sick. _Humans are the monsters._ It was a fact of life Lizzy reminded herself every single day. She wasn’t the monster. She wasn’t the freak of nature. They were. They locked everyone up and tore apart families. They said they wanted to help, but they tortured kids who were different calling it testing. They can into your home and killed the people you cared about. Now they wanted to kill the monsters - but humans were the monsters. Not goblins.

Still smiling, Lizzy looked down on the brunette in front of her as a representation of all the ones who had done her wrong. _The king will soon see her for the threat she is. I’ll make sure of it._ “Actually could you come with me? I’m going to need someone to help carrying the supplies. Bullet holes are a mess to take care of, you know?” The human looked between her and the back gate.

“I’d like that. I think I’m going to want to see what happens next.” Lizzy felt a surge of triumph. _You and me both chickadee._


	14. Bog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates brought to you by commenters who are very invested in my garbage. 
> 
> Um. Thank you all for being amazing and reading my work. I am terribly sorry real life had gotten pretty awful there for a while and while I'm still stressed I really do want to work on this story. 
> 
> I know this is really short... But next up should be Marianne followed by Pare. Should be finished and uploaded no later than tomorrow night.

He eased into a ground eating trot, stretching muscles he hadn’t had a cause to use for some time. As king he was too busy to run with the hunter pack. Had he been there perhaps things would be different.

 _Or you might have been filled with lead like the rest of them._ The thought sounded suspiciously like his mother. If anyone would find a way to pester him beyond the grave it would be his mother. _At least until you’re settled down with a nice girl_. Bog’s shoulder stung at the reminder. She would have already been planning the wedding had she seen that fight.

The grin stretching across his face slid off as he caught the scent of blood in the hot summer air. A growl rumbled deep in his chest echoed by those he led. It was the first time they had been so bold, the pitiful creatures. Humans. _How dare they._ Bog snarled and put on an extra burst of speed. He barely managed signaling to the group to circle around on both sides with an angry gesture, around the bloodlust hazing his thoughts. _Well they’d soon learn the error of their ways._

There would be a _feast_ tonight.

The humans were already battered from their run in with the hunter pack, but overall seemed high on life from surviving their encounter with the _monsters_. They smelled of alcohol and death, and made jokes and were posing with the corpses of _his_ people. Bog’s vision turned red.

The sun beat down, making the air hot, close, and still around the unsuspecting prey. The dust puffed up under their bodies as they –the predators – crawled into position. There were only scrubby little cedar bushes about, but even their well-practiced eyes had trouble picking out the slow and languid movements of the rest of the pack as they cut off all routes of escape. They paused there a beat, ready, tense… and then as one struck.

This. This is what he was made for, what he spent every waking moment craving. A struggling pulse beating wildly in his palm, the helpless noises as he tightened his grip and sunk his claws into flesh. Satisfaction of bone crunching and muscles straining.

He was fast, strong, _hungry._

Bog’s mind cleared with the sudden wave of revulsion. With an inarticulate yell he stilled all movement in the clearing. His goblins looked back at him, contrary instincts warring in themselves – to obey or to eat. When it took longer than a heartbeat for them to obey, he slammed the still living man in his hand into Pare. Who landed on his back looking startled but no longer torn.

Glaring at the rest sent his goblins scrambling to release their broken toys. It wasn’t long until the survivors were gathered together, shaking, bleeding, and reeking of the sweet scent of fear before him.

With a loud crack of his neck he loomed over them, bearing his far too sharp teeth.

“Now,” His voice was hoarse and low. One of the humans actually pissed himself at the sound of it. “Tell me. Who. Let. You. In.” It wasn’t a question, it was a demand. 


	15. Marianne

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again. Sorry for the long hiatus and if you're reading this you're an amazing person that I adore. 
> 
> Pare will be up shortly.

She was sweaty, dirty, and completely sick of both. Texas was hell, even without the prison full of monsters to back up that idea. Marianne envied the girl racing ahead of her, backpack bouncing easily as she gracefully loped along. In a way it reminded her of Dawn, making everything look effortless.

Or maybe she just missed her sister.

 _Surely there’s a phone somewhere around here._ It’d been weeks since her last call. She’d been caught up in work and now the thought that she might not get to say goodbye, that she’d just vanish for good without her baby sister ever knowing why, made her throat close up and her eyes burn.

Marianne shook her head firmly. There was not time for that here. Now was the time to see the truth between monsters and men.

The truth was grisly and awful. _Monstrous._

Sure these were deformed people, easily the stuff of nightmares. Yes the way they moved and watched, and literally hungered to eat her terrified her. Yes goblins had murdered people in front of her…but it had been quick.

The girl – Lizzy was her name – crouched down next to one woman whose chest was bubbling with blood and gestured frantically for Marianne to bring over the rest of the supplies.

Together they managed to get the sucking chest wound treated, but honestly without proper medical treatment how long could she last? And that was just the beginning.

The others of the “hunting pack” weren’t in much better shape, and didn’t take too kindly to being bandaged up while they were in such pain. Marianne took her cues from Lizzy and growled and snapped, and in extreme cases thumped their wounds, until they stopped trying to take a bite out of her and let her help.

What had His Majesty said when she first arrived? That out in human society they would be killed but here at least they were left alone? _Guess humans weren’t satisfied with just locking them up_. She felt bile rise up, and not just because of the stench of blood in the heat and the buzz of flies around the dying.

A loud cry froze the moans and snarls of the wounded. It hadn’t come from too far away.

Marianne exchanged a glance with Lizzy and they both stood and took off running.

A group of goblins stood surrounding a couple of battered teens and the bodies of their compatriots. They looked scared and were babbling at an unmoving goblin king who seemed to only be waiting for them to run out of words before finishing them off.

Their arrival drew all eyes to them – more specifically her. Marianne could understand. It was us against them, and no matter how many she won over there would always be the niggling doubt that she was one of them.

It would be so easy to prove she was one of them right now. She was sick, angry, how dare these people come into the one safe place for the goblins and hunt them down like animals.

Marianne had no trouble getting in touch with her inner goblin, desiring nothing more than to show these _monsters_ what a real animal looked like.

But the feeling faded as she stared angrily down at the three boys. They looked like brothers. Frightened kids mislead by people who should have known better. She knew what it was like to be manipulated into believing the wrong things.

She stood straight and proud under the hungry eyes of the goblins, and kept her voice low and unchallenging as she stared only at the king. “Let them go bog.” Softly spoken or not, it was still an order. And she didn’t out rank him.

But she didn’t brace for a fight, because doing so would start one. Marianne was trying to avoid that.

His head turned so very slowly away from the trembling teens to face her. His eyes ice cold despite the summer heat. “What?” Less spoken and more of a crack in the vocal cords that happened to resemble a word.

Still. She wasn’t dead yet, even if he was still so very still. With other goblins it was all about threatening movements. With him it was deadly stillness. Marianne didn’t look away.

“Those are little more than kids Bog. Backwoods drunks going missing is one thing, but teens still in school? Someone will come looking for them.” She was trying to keep her tone reasonable, and edged towards him. Head just so slightly canted to the right, eyes unblinking.

No one else made to stop her. This wasn’t a challenge yet but it could so easily turn into one. Somehow she didn’t think her luck would carry her through a second fight with the king today.

He stood up straight, casting her in his shadow. “And what do you suggest Tough Girl?” His hands flexed at his sides as if restraining himself from grabbing her. “That I let them leave after what they’ve _done_?”

Marianne could feel his anger like a physical force. She couldn’t blame him for wanting vengeance when she had seen the wounded and could see the dead littering the ground along with the human bodies. This was wrong though. And she wouldn’t let it go any farther.

“Yes. Let them go home. You’ve broken their bones and their spirits. Let them go and tell everyone exactly what they did and how the goblins will tolerate nothing like this ever again.” She could feel the bile and horror rise up in the back of her throat again, and turned her attention to the three boys. “Let them go as a warning. Because if people can get in, then we can get out.” They were as terrified of her as the rest of the goblins.

Marianne looked back at Bog and waited his decision, mind already moving past this moment. Monsters weren’t just goblins. Monsters were everywhere. If he moved to kill the boys anyways she’d have to stop him. Once he was dead she’d be in charge. Either way she knew what she said was right. These human hunters had gotten past the fence and the guards. If they could, how could such fast moving creatures not?

There was a way out.

Silence stretched broken only by the shuffling of the onlookers and the horrible buzzing of the feasting flies.

Finally Bog gave a sharp nod. “Go.” He said, voice sharp and soft. The boys hesitated and Bog rounded on them shouting loudly until they sprung up and limped quickly away. No one moved to stop them, their king had spoken.

From behind her came a strangled sound. Marianne turned just in time to catch a face full of angry blond girl.


	16. Pare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry for the poor characterization of Pare. Actually I'm more sorry for how poorly I did this than any other character...

Pare wasn’t stupid, though that was what people thought when they saw the large smiling man.

He just kept his thoughts to himself most of the time. It didn’t help that he had such a deep slow voice that he didn’t use for much but humming. Actions spoke louder than words to him.

 

Actions like the King letting the little slip of a human live.

Actions like said human girl making nice with the goblins, in the goblin way.

Actions like the human and king fighting, and nobody dying.  

 

The short amount of time didn’t bother him much. He’d seen enough to get the idea that this human was different. Was as much a goblin as any of them in a way that mattered. Change had come and was all because of the little ball of anger fighting for her life before them now.

The king didn’t interfere of course. Wasn’t the way of things anymore. Pare remembered when it had been, but that was before.

He knew a thing or two about being angry. He was angry a lot. Especially at humans. But so was this human. Maybe that’s what made her different. So very angry at the very thing she was. ‘course so were most of the goblins. No wonder they all hit it off so well.

Speaking of anger, Lizzy was obviously pretty angry. Lizzy had been here since she was just a kid. He was pretty sweet on her, so he’d been watching her a bit more than the others. She didn’t fight. Nope. Just growled or coward and went on with life just the same.

So for her to be challenging anyone, but especially a human crazy enough to challenge the king and not loose… Well Pare wasn’t stupid.

The human managed to break free and slam the other girls head pretty hard against the ground. She leaned over and muttered something and then stood and walked away. The fight was over. Anyone could tell that Lizzy had lost fair and square.

Except for Lizzy.

Who struggled back to her feet, growled and went to leap at the humans back.

 

The human that signaled a change perhaps for the better in the prison.

The human that had fought two goblins so far and survived as well as a goblin might.

The human that the king had let live.

 

Actions speak louder than words for Pare. He got to Lizzy before she made it to the human.

He held her close, pressed up against him, and let instinct take over.

 

He’d been sweet on her awhile, and never much good at expressing himself with words.

 

A kiss would have to speak for him.


End file.
